A prominent legal expert and constitutional law professor believes that there is a good chance of former President Donald Trump’s hush money conviction being quickly overturned. The expert has expressed concerns about the weak evidence and contrasting legal theories, as well as Judge Juan Merchan’s performance and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s decision to bring 34 felony charges related to Trump’s payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. The expert suggests that there is considerable reversible error in this case, covering procedural to constitutional problems, including federal constitutional violations.
The level of reversible error is significant, according to the legal expert, who also criticizes the instructions given to jurors, making it easy for them to convict Trump. The expert does not blame the jury but suggests that they were put in a difficult position with low standards. Although an optimist about the appellate judges’ ability to correct this situation, the expert calls for stepping forward and recognizing the lack of evidence against Trump.
In addition to the potential reversal of Trump’s hush money conviction, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a former police officer who petitioned to have an obstruction charge against him dismissed for his participation in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. The court found that the law, passed in 2002 as a part of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in response to the Enron accounting disaster, was only meant to be applicable in certain situations involving the altering of physical evidence. This decision could have implications for Trump’s charges related to the riot, but it remains to be seen how much the ruling will ultimately benefit him. The court has previously been skeptical of prosecutors when they assert broad applications of criminal provisions, potentially impacting Trump’s case as well.
